Morning Skate Updates: Gabe Perreault on Second Line, PP2

So it begins. A new youth movement is underway in New York with the arrival of Gabe Perreault, and the Rangers wasted no time at all in giving their top prospect some looks and responsibilities in his first practice.

Vince Mercogliano went on to clarify that most reps had Perreault and Alexis Lafrenière switch sides. But, regardless, two of the youngest wingers integral to the Rangers' future will potentially be lining up next to the Rangers' new star center, and seeing this happen live feels good. The Blueshirts have a history of burying their promising rookies for the sake of playing more trusted veteran players with less upside and far fewer implications tied to the Rangers' future success ::cough cough Barclay Goodrow and Jonny Brodzinski cough cough::.

The responsibilities Laviolette handed to Perreault continued as the team began setting up to practice their power play units.

We obviously won't know if these lines are what we'll see in upcoming games, especially with Laviolette flagrantly busting out his favorite kitchen appliance and blending away any sense of logic. But Perreault's inclusion is at the very least promising. Now we're talking an incredibly low bar here, but hey, we're easily clearing and accepting that low bar for once, and I promise this is not an April Fool's joke.

As we've pointed out in the past, Perreault is a dynamic forward. He has the ability to drive play and offense himself. Still, when acclimating to the NHL, very few young players have achieved success on their own without the support of skilled players skating alongside them. We saw this firsthand when we buried promising prospects into depth roles time and time again. Perreault playing with a player like J.T. Miller will more than likely jump-start his production, especially since Miller is similar in many ways to a longtime line mate of Perreault's, Ryan Leonard. For the first time in a while, most of us are eager to see the Rangers' next game, and most of that is due to Perreault's signing and his potential deployment.